Hopper door operating mechanism



June 2, 1959 w. E. FRITZ ET AL HOPPER noon OPERATING MECHANISM G Sheets-Sheet ,1

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QSEEQ June 2, 1959 Filed July 9, 1956 June 2, 1959 w. E. FRITZ ETAL 2,888,883

HOPPER DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed July 9, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 M f l i I I I i i 4 .5

INVENTORS- Willa/mil? B Geofgefz Wald/d 2,888,883 HOPPER DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM William E. Fritz, Hinsdal'e, and George B. Willard, Winfield, llL, assignors to Enterprise Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 9, 1956, Serial No. 596,499

4 Claims. (Cl. 105250) This invention relates, generally, to operating mechanisms for hopper doors of railway cars and it has par ticular relation to such mechanisms for controlling the operation of hopper doors for ballast cars.

Among the objects of this invention are: To provide an operating mechanism for hopper doors of ballast cars which is an improvement over the mechanism shown in copending application Serial No. 525,962, filed August 2, 1955, and assigned to the assignee of this application; to employ a link and strut for this purpose interconnecting the door and a hub on a rotatable operating shaft with the arrangement being such that the strut is positioned at a substantial angle to the door in the open position so that the force required to be applied to the strut for moving the door toward the closed position is reduced; and to provide a shoulder on the hub cooperating with the link when the door is closed to effect a positive opening movement of the door when the shaft is rotated in the door opening direction.

Other objects of this invention will, in part, be obvious and in part appear hereinafter.

This invention is disclosed in the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings and it comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts that will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and scope of this invention reference can be had to the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a hopper section of a railway ballasting car having the improved door operating mechanisms of this invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a vertical end view of the structure shown in Figure 1 as viewed from left to right and showing the worm and gear housing partly broken away;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken through the hopper on a line corresponding substantially to line 33 of Figure 1, one door being shown in the open position and the other in closed position;

Figure 4 is a sectional plan view of the structure shown in Figures 1 and 2, as seen on a line 4-4 of Figure 2, and having certain parts broken away to better illustrate the swivel nuts and the cooperation between these nuts and the struts;

Figure 5 is a detached vertical sectional view showing one of the doors in the open pendant position;

Figure 6 is a view, similar to Figure 5, showing the door in the partly closed position;

Figure 7 is a view, similar to Figures 5 and 6, and showing the door in the closed and locked position;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figures 5, 6 and 7 showing how the door is positively opened when the operating shaft is rotated in the door opening direction;

Figure 9 is a view, in side elevation, of one of the hubs that is mounted on the operating shaft;

Figure 10 is a vertical sectional View taken generally along the line 10-40 of Figure 9;

r 2,888,883 Patented June 2, 1959 ice Figure 11 is a top plan view of a link;

Figure 12 is a view, in side elevation, of the link shown in Figure 11;

Figure 13 is a top plan view of a strut member; and

Figure 14 is a view, in side elevation, of the link shown in Figures 11 and 12 connected to the strut member shown in Figure 13.

In the drawings, 10 indicates the center sill and 11 one of the side walls of the car and interposed therebetween is a hopper including sloping upper floor sections 12 and 13 respectively leading downwardly from the center sill 10 and car side wall 11 and which in cooperation with end sloping floors 14 constitute a four sided upper hopper section. The end floors 14-connect with lower transversely extending beam members or baffle plates 15 by means of angle members 15a which are connected to the members 15.

The sloping floors 12 and 13 are each reinforced at their lower ends by angle beam members 16 and secured thereto are hinge butts 17 which in turn carry hinge pins 18 for pivotally supporting oppositely disposed swinging doors 19-19. a

As shown in Figure 3 doors 1919, which: are arranged to define in closed position a V-shaped hopper, are formed with an arcuately shaped upper end 1901 concentrically disposed with respect to the axis of the doc about hinge pins 18'. The swinging end of each'door is flanged at 24 and these flanges abut a vertical walltsection 21 of a diverting member 22 which is preferably disposed centrally above the rail and includes walls 23 sloping downwardly and outwardly from the vertical wall-section 21 for directing lading away from the rail.

The doors 19-49 are opened and closed through the medium of rotatable shafts 24'v which are located rearwardly of the doors 19 and indie path of opening movement thereof, said shafts being rotatably mounted in transverse beam members or baflie members. 1-515 by means of a suitable bearing 26 at one endof each shaft-and at the opposite end each shaft 24- is mounted in a worm and gear housing 27' Each housing 27 encloses anopcrating gear 28 and cooperating worm gearv 29. The worm gears 29 are operated by cross shafts as indicated in Figure 4' at 36 for the inner door mechanism and at 31 for the outer door. The said cross shafts are fitted with suitable operating heads as indicated at 32.

The description of the mechanism proper of which a plurality may be employed for each door will be confined to one of such mechanisms inasmuch as the structure and operation for the various'mechanisms are generally similar.

The mechanism, Figure 5,. includes a hub 33 nonrotatably mounted onthe shaft 24 and an integral arm- 34 having a pair of jaws 35-35 between which is sandwiched at one end a link 36 and pivotally united therewith at 37. The hub 33 includes an integral toggle arm- 38 having a concave seat 39 radially spaced from the pivot 37 which is arranged and adapted to receive anarcuate.

tween which the link 36 extends. The endof the strut member 41 which connects with the door 19 is screwthreaded at 45 and co-actswith a complementary screw threaded swivel nut 46 having laterally extending trunnionportions 47-47. The trunnion portions 47 are rotatably mounted in bearings as indicated at 48 and 49, the hearing 48 being preferably integrally formed with a: hinge beam member 50 andbearing 49 being integrally formedwith a bracket member 51. 1 The member 50', Figure 1, is preferably formed of a The seating end 3 casting having an enlarged hub section 52 at its upper end which constitutes a hinge for the door 19 and is apertured to receive the door hinge pin 18. The beam member 50 is extended towards the swinging edge of the door 19 as at 53, Figure 3, to form a support for a combined bafiie and door reinforcing member 54.

In Figures 5-8 of the drawings it will be observed that the link 36 is provided with a lug 58 which, in the closed position of the door 19, Figure 7, engages the reduced section 59 of the strut member 41 and limits the movement thereof in the overcenter toggle locked position. Here the pivot 42 is moved past a line 60 joining the pivot of swivel 47 with the axis of rotation of the operating shaft 24 so that the pivot 42 lies along a line 61 joining it and the pivot of the trunnion or swivel 47 which is slightly above the line 60. In this toggle locked position the door 19 is held positively against opening movement as will be readily understood.

Figure 5 of the drawings shows the door 19 in the pendant open position. Here it will be noted that the link 36 is pivoted at 37 to the arm 34 on the side of the hub 33 away from the door 19 and that the strut 41 is positioned principally below the axis of rotation of the operating shaft 24. As a result in the movement of the strut member 41 between open and closed positions of the door 19 is in a path that is principally below the axis of rotation of the operating shaft 24. This arrangement makes it possible to provide a shoulder 62, Figure 10, on the hub 33 for engaging the link 36 at 63, Figure 8, when the operating shaft 24 is rotated in the door opening direction indicated by the arrow 64. Thus, should the door 19 become stuck for some reason or other in the closed position where it had been operated previously as indicated in Figure 7, the continued rotation of the operating shaft 24 in the direction indicated by the arrow 64 brings the shoulder 62 into engagement with the link 36 at 63 and thus positively moves the door 19 from the open position. This arrangement for positively opening the door 19 during the rotation of the operating shaft 24 to the full open position is advantageous since it insures that the door 19 is started in its opening movement during the rotation of the shaft 24 in contradistinction to waiting until the shaft 24 has completed its opening movement before any movement of the door 19 to the open position takes place. This arrangement permits a graduated opening of the door 19 and more complete and uni form distribution of the ballast in accordance with the opening movement of the door.

Another advantage which results from the location of the pivot 37 in the arm 34 on the side away from the door 19 in the open position is that it permits the strut member 41 to be located at a substantial angle, such as the angle indicated at 65 in Figures 3 and 5 of the drawings, to the door 19. This reduces the force that is required to be applied to the strut member 41 by the link 36 in starting the movement of the door 19 to the closed position.

In describing the operation of the door operating mechanisms disclosed herein, it will be assumed that the door 19 is in the open position as indicated in Figure 5 of the drawings. An operating bar is placed in the corresponding operating head 32 and the shaft 24 is turned in the direction indicated by the arrow 66 in Figure 6. The hub 33 acting through the link 36 and the strut member 41 moves the door 19 to the fully closed position as shown in Figure 7 where the pivot 42 has moved to the overcenter position and further movement is stopped by the lug 58 engaging the reduced section 59 of the strut member 41. During the final closing movement of the door 19 the arcuate surfaces 40 at the ends of the jaws 43 engage the correspondingly shaped seat 39 on the hub 33 and the reaction applied to the door 19 is transmitted through the strut member 41 directly to the hub 33 and thence to the operating shaft 24 with none of the stress being applied to the pivot 42 or to the link 36.

When the door 19 is to be opened and ballast discharged, the operating shaft 24 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 67 in Figure 7 to unlock the toggle and permit the door 19 to open. As described above, if the door 19 fails to open, the continued rotation of the operating shaft 24 in the opening direction as indicated by the arrow 64 in Figure 8 causes the shoulder 62 on the hub 33 to engage the link 36 at 63. The continued movement in the direction indicated by the arrow 64 of the shaft 24 in the opening direction breaks the door 19 loose and permits the discharge of ballast as will be understood.

Since certain changes can be made in the foregoing construction and different embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is intended that all matter shown in the accompanying drawings and described hereinbefore shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a railway car having a hopper with a discharge opening and a door hinged to said hopper adjacent the upper side of said opening and swingable downwardly to an open position, a shaft rotatably mounted on said hopper parallel to and below the hinge axis of said door and spaced laterally outwardly from said door in the direction of opening movement of said door, a hub nonrotatably mounted on said shaft having a seat facing said door in closed position, a strut pivoted at one end to said door with its other end engaging said seat when said door is closed, and a link pivoted at one end to said other end of said strut and at the other end to said hub on the side away from said door when said door is open with said strut extending at a substantial angle to said door.

2. In a railway car having a hopper with a discharge opening and a door hinged to said hopper adjacent the upper side of said opening and swingable downwardly to an open position, a shaft rotatably mounted on said hopper parallel to and below the hinge axis of said door and spaced laterally outwardly from said door in the direction of opening movement of said door, a hub nonrotatably mounted on said shaft having a seat facing said door in closed position, a strut pivoted at one end to said door with its other end engaging said seat when said door is closed, a link pivoted at one end to said other end of said strut and at the other end to said hub on the side away from said door when said door is open with said strut extending at a substantial angle to said door, and a shoulder on said hub engaging said link when said shaft is rotated in a door opening direction to positively open said door.

3. In a rail-way car having a hopper with a discharge opening and a door hinged to said hopper adjacent the upper side of said opening and swingable downwardly to an open position, a shaft rotatably mounted on said hopper parallel to and below the hinge axis of said door and spaced laterally outwardly from said door in the direction of opening movement of said door, a hub nonrotatably mounted on said shaft having a seat facing said door in closed position, a strut pivoted at one end to said door with its other end engaging said seat when said door is closed, a link pivoted at one end to said other end of said strut and at the other end to said hub on the side away from said door when said door is open with said strut extending at a substantial angle to said door, the axis of the pivotal connection between said link and said strut in the closed position of said door being located between the pivot axis of said strut on said door and the axis of rotation of said shaft and beyond a line joining the last mentioned axes when said shaft is rotated to the extent necessary to close said door, and stop means preventing further rotation of said shaft in a door closing direction.

4. In a railway car having a hopper with a discharge opening and a door hinged to said hopper adjacent the upper side of said opening and swingable downwardly to an open position, a shaft rotatably mounted on said hopper parallel to and below the hinge axis of said door and spaced laterally outwardly from said door in the direction of opening movement of said door, a hub nonrotatably mounted on said shaft having a seat facing said door in closed position, a strut pivoted at one end to said door with its other end engaging said seat when said door is closed, a link pivoted at one end to said 10 other end of said strut and at the other end to said hub on the side away from said door when said door is open with said strut extending at a substantial angle to said door, the axis of the pivotal connection between said link and said strut in the closed position of said door being located between the pivot axis of said strut on said door and the axis of rotation of said shaft and 'beyond a line joining the last mentioned axes when said shaft is rotated to the extent necessary to close said door, stop means preventing further rotation of said shaft in a door closing direction, and a shoulder on said hub engaging said link when said shaft is rotated in a door opening direction to positively open said door.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 644,890 Bellows Mar. 6, 1900 812,783 Campbell Feb. 13, 1906 825,580 Campbell July 10, 1906 1,022,516 Tesseyman et al. Apr. 9, 1912 1,290,572 Keithley et a1. Jan. 7, 1919 1,317,775 Campbell Oct. 7, 1919 1,342,089 Campbell June 1, 1920 

